Town Square

The writing on the wall

Original post made
on Apr 24, 2009

Not a day goes by in Pleasanton that someone doesn't discover graffiti scribed on a freeway underpass, stop sign, railroad boxcar or the side of a building. This city has nowhere near the amount of tags as San Jose or Oakland, but did you know that last calendar year, Pleasanton spent $50,000 covering up graffiti?

Posted by Toni
a resident of Vineyard Avenue
on Apr 24, 2009 at 9:11 am

I have lived in this area for several years. Just the last few months I have seen more and more graffiti. It is so sad to think that there is not something more valuable to do with time than deface someone else's property.

Posted by resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Apr 24, 2009 at 11:37 am

AVHS Dad -- yes, there are restrictions. However, a few weeks ago I stood in line behind one of our finest Pleasanton mommies with a cart full of spray paint. Making conversation, I asked what sort of project it was for. Getting no answer I asked if it might end up as tags and why she would be buying paint for her kids to do that. She left without the paint, I do regret not following and getting her license number anyway. So when the parents raise the kids that way and even buy the paint what do we expect? Not all taggers are Pleasanton brats but many Pleasanton parents a doing a fine job of raising their kids without restrictions or discipline so the problem will not get any better.

Posted by justwondering
a resident of another community
on Apr 26, 2009 at 9:24 am

The population of Oakland is 365,000 and the population of San Jose is nearly one million. Pleasanton has a population of 65,000. Of course there are not nearly as many tags in Pleasanton as in those cities. It's not a fair comparison. I was wondering how Pleasanton stacks up against a city that is closer to its same size like Livermore, Danville or Castro Valley. Tagging is becoming a problem for all communities no matter how "upscale".

Posted by thevoiceofgraf
a resident of Vineyard Avenue
on Apr 26, 2009 at 8:53 pm

They are right, there are more of you than us, and its always been like this, and you have not "won" anything (you have lost alot of money). Graffiti will never go away its not only an addiction but a culture. Open your eye's people its been going on for decades and only grows larger and larger! WE CANT BE STOPPED. Sure call the graf hotline and get the cops to come out and take some pics of our work. We want to be known, so thank you.

Posted by Cassie
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Apr 28, 2009 at 11:12 pm

In the Northbay, there is a large rotating group of residents who receive donations from the local paint stores and two times a month, they rotate to different spots throughout their city (retainer walls, cement creek beds, underpasses etc..wherever the graffiti pops up and take care of painting over it. They have brought the graffiti incidents down drastically to almost null.

Since the taggers don't have prominent exposure, they eventually move on. All it took was one person to create the difference and the momentum caught on.

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